Jharkhand ropeway accident: Three dead, 22 still trapped, operation halted till Tuesday morning

At least three people died while 22 others still lay trapped mid-air in a row of 12 ropeway trollies for more than 24 hours since the collision with each other at Trikut hills in Jharkhand's Deoghar district.

Deoghar (Jharkhand): At least three people died while 22 others are still trapped mid-air in a row of eight ropeway trollies for more than 24 hours since the collision with each other at Trikut hills in Jharkhand's Deoghar district. The operation has been called off for now given the darkness and the rough terrain and will resume tomorrow morning. The latest to die was a man who fell as he was being rescued by an IAF chopper during the operation Monday evening.

According to the latest reports, 22 people are still stuck in at least eight cabins in the ropeway, for which the rescue operation was underway since Sunday evening. Two Mi-17 helicopters have also been deployed for the rescue operations, said Indian Air Force (IAF) officials. Besides, ITBP and NDRF teams are also camping at the site. The helicopters have had a tough job pulling people out due to the tough terrain.

Sources said that at least 10 tourists sustained injuries in the collision that occurred around 4.30 pm on Sunday, and two of them died late in the night. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who expressed anguish over the incident said he was closely monitoring the situation. "The administration, army and NDRF team are fully prepared and working to rescue the people trapped in the Deoghar Trikut ropeway accident. I am constantly monitoring the situation. Soon all will be rescued safely," Soren tweeted on Monday.

Disaster Management Minister Banna Gupta who also expressed his grief over the incident assured that action will be taken against those responsible for the accident. "We will thoroughly investigate the accident and no one responsible for the accident will be spared. We will take action against the culprits," the Minister said.

"All efforts are being made to airlift the tourists to safety. An NDRF team working since Sunday night has rescued 11 people. Locals, too, are helping with the rescue operation. Ten people have sustained serious injuries in the incident, of which one of them died late last night," Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri PTI quoted him as saying.

Asked about the reason that led to the accident, the DC said the entire district machinery was at present involved in the evacuation exercise, and a probe would be initiated only after the operation got over. Prima facie it seemed that a technical snag caused the accident, the DC maintained. He also said that the ropeway was being run by a private company. Operators running the system fled the area shortly after the accident.

The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand tourism department, is India's highest vertical ropeway with a maximum lens angle of 44 degrees. The ropeway, situated around 20 km from Baba Baidyanath Temple, is around 766-metre-long, while the hill is 392-metres-high.